Police 'escort' bear on walking tour of Anchorage

Not every visitor to Anchorage, Alaska, gets the VIP treatment from the local constabulary, but when you're a healthy, 200-pound black bear exploring the city, you only get the best from the Anchorage police department.

On Sept. 16, a black bear took in all the sights of Anchorage. Office buildings! Back alleys! Quaint shops! Residential areas! Pizza Hut parking lots! Cemeteries! It was a two-hour tour of the city, and it was chronicled by police who followed the bear during his amble through the city. The bear's visit even caused some neighborhoods to go on lockdown, lest anyone disturb the bear's time in the big city (and no one did).

After he had had his fill of the city, Alaska Department of Fish and Game arrived to escort the bear back into an undisclosed part of the wilderness. While the 250 to 300 bears that live around Anchorage rarely venture into the city, we wouldn't be surprised if this particular Ursus americanus leaves a good review of the city on Bear Yelp.